This update fixes a bunch of bugs, including one that sucked up 5GB of bandwidth in one day from just a couple of users :( Unfortunately bug fixes and backend improvements don't make for an exciting update, but we can't move forward without them.

As the game was being tested privately for quite a while, the patch notes would be rather lengthy and time consuming to write up in full, so I'll just sum it up: more track sections, control improvements, new approach to early character progression, many UI adjustments, tons of bug fixes, etc.

With the last few updates I've had to juggle around some parts of the database in order to get the team system set up with the league. It required a lot of new bits and pieces that are very different from the existing server code and as a result, it's been a crash fest for a few weeks.

Just wanted to pop in and say, this is very temporary and most of the issues will be fixed soon. I was meaning to hold off until v0.8, but instead v0.79 will come out today or tomorrow. I'll take the results from that, see what crashes persist and try to make v0.8 a far more stable release.

After that the plan is to work for a bit more and then get the real party started on Armor Games, where there will be far more regular players to compete against.

Competing in the league now gives large credit and experience rewards. This value increases based on how many riders competed, and how well you ranked overall.

You can now create a league Team (1 per account). They don't actually do anything yet, but there you go.

The +/- change in stats is displayed on the stat pentagon when selecting equipment.

Boost multiplier is now displayed on screen. Bit glitchy/ugly right now, will be improved. Other information (like the % of slowdown from obstacles) will be shown in future updates, and there will be an option to turn this display off.

Bug Fixes:

Fixed issue where the top ranked rider in the league could potentially break ranking calculations by taking up multiple slots (1st, 2nd, etc.)

Fixed railings on the top edge of Freefall sections not sticking inwards enough.

Fixed issue where riders would go straight through rails after grinding.

Since it's been so long, and there's been so many changes throughout the engine, it's likely there will be a number of crashes and disconnects. I'll be keeping close watch; expect hotfixes to come soon if needed.

Sky Riders will go offline for a bit while I clear out database bugs from v0.43 and ready the next update.

I'm excited to start rolling out the new League system, which is going to be the real core of the game in the long-term. An advantage of all this development hell is that it's given me a lot of time to iterate and improve on the design.

0.6x will be a somewhat scattershot update of behind-the-scenes technical issues, frameworks, bug fixes, and added visuals. Again!? I know, I know. From 0.6x onwards, there is a more structured plan for focusing on major gameplay features with each update while gradually improving other areas of the game (graphics, UI, optimizations). The roadmap to beta and release is in place.

If I could feel this positive and productive every day, I'd have finished this game a year ago. Ah well; the important part is, things are turning out well. Watching social/f2p gaming continue to flounder and fail to innovate this last year inspires me to keep pushing forward. Someone has to try, right?

I will update this week or kill myself*. I'm bad at the latter, so expect an update!

Personal battles with depression have made it difficult to work at any significant speed since the last Sky Riders update. I apologize for those of you waiting on that game and/or future games I've talked about.

Months between updates is unacceptable, and has never been my intention. Hopefully I can find some way of turning things around, but in the meantime, there is little else to say other than I don't know how slow progress is going to be on any given day.

The next update will be focused primarily on filling out missing artwork. It was originally supposed to add another gameplay segment into the map generator, but that will take more time, and the new art and bug fixes should see a wider testing phase first.

I had some Flash 11 tutorials up on the previous version of this site. The project files for those tutorials are gone, but I've re-uploaded the articles & code snippets into a reference archive for anyone who is interested.

Sky Riders is in public alpha again, so you can try it for yourself right now. It's coming together day-by-day and soon it'll be the sort of fun, social experience I originally envisioned. In the meantime, let's crash the crap out of it.